Last year at the 65th Annual Meeting in San Diego, ASTRO awarded a $12,500 Survivor Circle Grant for two California-based organizations, Breast Cancer Angels and Cancer Support Community Los Angeles (CSCLA). ASTRO caught up recently with both organizations to hear how the organizations have further advanced their missions using these grants since last fall.
Based in San Diego, Breast Cancer Angels shared that they were able to increase their support to low-income families. With the grant, they purchased 40 gas cards for clients who used them to reach their appointments for radiation treatment. After all, funds for gas make up a sizeable portion of one’s budget when considering the time on the road demanded by radiation sessions that often last four to eight weeks. The psychological boost helped their clients make a difficult time a little easier, forcing less the decision of transportation versus other essentials.
Meanwhile, Cancer Support Community Los Angeles (CSCLA) has used half of their funds thus far to support personnel costs associated with delivering their language-and-identity-specific cancer support, providing wages for Spanish-speaking and Korean-speaking facilitators. CSCLA hosts three Spanish language groups. Alongside that, their Korean-speaking facility provides one-on-one counseling services, as an anticipated precursor for future Korean support groups depending on community interest. Since the start of the grant period, over 300 participants have been served through almost 3,000 program visits. Over 80% have reported an improved quality of life and 93% said they have been able to better manage stress as a result of CSCLA’s no-cost psychosocial support services.
Breast Cancer Angels and CSCLA have taken the Survivor Circle Grant to deepen their influence in southern California. ASTRO similarly intends to reach the DC-Maryland-Virginia region this October by awarding two grants to cancer patient support organizations during the annual meeting. We are excited to announce Smith Center for Healing and the Arts of Washington, DC, and Touch4Life of Clarksville, Maryland, as the 2024 Survivor Circle grant winners. Stay tuned for future publications and visit the Survivor Circle booth at the Annual Meeting to learn more about these two DC-area organizations.
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